Sifr

Season Two / Episode Seven

In which travellers take to the road, a magical message seems unaware of relevant developments, a mercenary is mangled, and the night is spent in an unremarkable place . . .

Arathel, Sitani, Naedas, Taga, and Margot meet Nola outside of Greybay and the group discusses their travel route and supplies. Naedas and Nola go back into the city to purchase light horses and convert the coins found on Vertwater Island into gems. With their supplies in hand, they set off. During their first day on the road, Arathiel receives the following sending from Katina Argyr, a name he is unfamiliar with:

“Pursued target, but they evaded capture. Believe was drawn into a trap, location unknown, some backwater prime. Assistance would be appreciated but not necessary. Pursuing way home.”

Throughout the day Nola discusses her Prime Material with the others and the dangers that keep most people from travelling too far inland, including aberrations, oozes, basilisks, and spells that come to life and attack their casters.

They encounter a basilisk and a second creature they cannot identify and Sitani is petrified in the fight. Nola uses a strange power to twist space into thousands of tiny fragments, using a series of voids in space to cut into the Basilisk, segmenting it into chunks. Nola and Taga wring the Basilisk parts over Sitani, covering him in blood and curing him of the petrification.

Returning to the road, the group spots a pair of gray ooze and are easily able to evade them. As night falls, they ride through a bog with the ruins of a stone tower sunken into it. Though the first level of the tower has been lost to the bog, they find a large second storey window at ground level, and with Margot’s assistance they herd the horses inside, planning to stay the night in the tower.

Sitani and Taga stealthily explore the tower, finding an old, confused Homunculus on the next floor, which they decide to give a wide berth. On the topmost floor they are attacked by an Invisible Stalker. The others rush to the top floor and, when the Stalker begins to lose the fight, it retreats. Naedas communicates with the Stalker in Auran, explaining that they did not know anyone was living in the tower and didn’t mean to invade. The Stalker, named Varsha, apologizes for attacking and agrees to let them stay the night in the tower unmolested. In exchange, it wants to go with them, leaving the plane when they do. Both parties agree.

That night, Sitani, Naedas, and Taga have a communal dream. They feel that they are in their homes – wherever they believe home to be – and also in the homes of every other person present in the dream: Abacus Rex and Nerissa, the winged woman present during their escape from the Harmonium Nemausus facility. Nerissa speaks to them through the dream:

“You are in terrible danger. You have drawn the eye of those most dangerous in Sigil, and that of Gulbrand. He searches for you, and I fear it is only a matter of time until he pays the music and you are revealed by the King. Make no mistake, Gulbrand’s halo is awash with blood, and he will have you bite the iron the moment he finds you. You must leave! I will meet you in Ysgard, and from there, we will branch out to the Gnarl, to a place that is safe. I will be with you soon — believe well.”

They wake up with a perfect recollection of a portal in Sigil’s Guildhall Ward, a towering golden archway they must pass through to activate it, and its key: one ounce of silver. When they leave the tower ruins, Varsha brings the homunculus. On the road, a huge armour-plated beast with a dorsel fin bursts up from the ground, attacking Arathiel before jumping up in the air and landing near Sitani, Naedas, Taga, Nola and Margot. Varsha slams the creature from the back of Margot’s horse. Unable to see Varsha, the creature retaliates against Margot, knocking her from her horse and breakig her spine, paralyzing her.

Taga, Sitani, and Arathiel battle the beast to the ground, and Nola rushes to Margot, healing her. One of her Cure Moderate Wounds spells lingers after the casting, twisting into a humanoid shape and becoming a spellhaunt that attacks Taga, stripping her of her enchantments, though it is quickly defeated. Varsha holds Margot upright on her horse and the group rides on, reaching farmland and the hamlet of Falbarrow just before dusk.

Doors and shutters are all closed in the village, and one lone man stands out on the road to greet the travellers. The man, Ira Vincent, welcomes the group into his tavern, where he rents them a spare room to rest in for the night for 1 GP. Upon discovering that one of their party is injured, he vacates his bed for the night, letting Margot use it.

Ira prepares dinner for the group and discusses his village and his prime material world. He briefly discusses the farming his community does, revealing that they don’t keep animals and the people of his world all consume plant-based diets. He also discusses a group of bandits in the nearby area, stating that they seek out interesting things, and there is nothing of interest in Falbarrow.

Season Two / Episode Six

Arathiel, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, and Margot wake up in the centre of a small forest clearing. An eerie silence permeates the area, and the bodies of the scaled dog-creatures have been left completely untouched by any sort of predator or scavenger, though grasses, weeds, and vines have crept up from the ground and begun growing over them, reclaiming the bodies into the earth.

They pick a direction and walk until they reach a shore with a wooden pier and a handful of decrepit rowboats. Picking out the best of the boats, they make their way across the expansive body of water and into the unknown horizon. It starts to rain, and then it starts to storm. The ship is overturned.

The group washes ashore and wakes up on a desolate beach near the hamlet of Bellhaven. The local people seem extremely mistrustful and suspicious, locking themselves in their homes, and their leader Mitzi LeBlanc emerges. With the aid of a Share Language spell, LeBlanc tells the strangers to leave, adding that they seek out Euthymia, an old witch living on the outskirts of town who communes with fairy spirits.

Euthymia tells the group that Vertwater Island, where they had come from, is a cursed place where only the fey roam. The people along the coasts are superstitious and mistrustful of magic, but the realms inland are ruled by mages. Euthymia suggests they travel to Greybay, a coastal city three days away, to obtain a map from the Cartographer’s Guild before making their way east to Wellshadow.

Arathiel, Stiani, Taga and Margot don large hooded cloaks to hide their inhuman traits, in order to raise less suspicion from the locals, and the group journeys to Greybay where they meet Nola Duffy, leader of the cartographer’s guild. Duffy has the group follow her to a private office where she discusses her world, reveals that she is a spellcaster, and tells them she will accompany them to Wellshadow personally. She gathers her supplies, including a horse and camping equipment, and they depart the city.

Season Two / Episode Five

In which treasures are scoped, an endless way is walked, unfamiliar monsters are defeated, and a once-hot trail goes adrift . . .

Arathiel, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, and Margot emerge on the other side of the tunnel in a veritable dragon’s hoard; coins cover every inch of the floor, and jewelled objects of precious metal jut up from the money like glittering islands in the sea of coins. Three of the walls are smooth worked stone while a fourth is a rough, jagged cavern wall.

After requisitioning useful magical items from the hoard, the group kicks in a jammed door and heads down the corridor behind it. The hallway stretches on seemingly forever, though the end is always in sight and the other room is always only a handful of steps back. A fleshy morass of eyes and mouthes rises up from a series of repeating puddles in the ground, but is handily defeated.

When the group finally reach the end of the hall, they find the long-dead bodies of dozens of winged creatures scattered across the floor, each about the size of a cat. Their broken bodies are batlike and buglike at the same time, with two sets of wings, a long nose like that of a mosquito, and six legs each. There is no sign of whatever killed the creatures.

They ascend a set of stone stairs and emerge from the tomb, finding themselves in a lush, green forest, where they defeat four winged dog creatures and rest for the night, the killer’s trail lost.

Season Two / Episode Four

In which another victim falls, the flayer is found, and an unfamiliar road is run. . .

Arathiel notices a new pattern in the Goatswood Flayer’s movements; after returning to tracking the killer on foot, he notes that the Flayer has been spending a lot of time in the Shattered Temple district of the Lower Ward. Tzenka and Arathiel believe the killer is preparing to kill again soon, and they gain command of several teams of patrolmen, ready to move in on the killer from multiple angles when the time comes.

Naedas, Sitani and Taga move Margot out of the Roundabout House and interview all current residents, looking for any suspicious characters. Robert, Robert, and Jimmy suggest the house could become self-sufficient selling baked goods provided they get more ovens and equipment, which Sitani purchases for them.

On the morning of the 20th of Blooming, the Flayer becomes more active than usual. Arathiel and his team get into position, tracking the killer into the Lower Ward. Arathiel hears a loud scream, rushing to a winding alley, where he sees two men, one writhing on the ground and the other standing over him. The man on the ground lays in a pool of blood, struggling and squirming. He is bleeding from his wrists and has a strange and very offputting creature attached to his head. The second man is tall, with a frayed suit and a pair of spectacles visible beneath a large hooded cloak. He holds a small, perfectly clean razor in his hand.

The killer turns and flees as soon as he catches sight of the Mercykillers. Arathiel orders Tzenka to attend to the victim and gives chase, pursuing the killer out of the Shattered Temple district across the ditch into the Hive. Arathiel takes a shortcut through the Roundabout House, calling for Sitani, Naedas, Taga, and Margot to join him.

The killer continues through the Hive into the Slags, where he ducks into an abandoned warehouse. The five pursue him inside, where they find a huge maze of crates stacked into great rows. The warehouse feels claustrophobic, endless corridors stretching out into infinity, and it makes Naedas and Sitani nauseous. The ceiling converges into a cathedral-styled dome, and a desecrated statue looms over the crate walls, depicting an eight-armed being covered in hundreds of eyes, holding a smashed spear in its right hand.

As they continue through the warehouse, the crates begin to vary in their materials, and an increasing number appear to be covered in leather, then fur, then glowing metals, glittering scales, tree bark and fruit skin. They defeat a trio of wriggling translucent worms with tentacles on their heads.

The group hears someone whistle three notes, each progressively higher pitched, and then a bright flash of light as the killer escapes through a portal. They locate the portal, activate it, and follow the killer through.

Season Two / Episode Three

In which a pilgrimage is undertaken for the prospect of knowledge, a divide is crossed, an arduous puzzle is bestowed, and a cloying secret stays dark . . .

Naedas, Sitani and Taga accompany Arathiel into the Outlands to meet with the alchemist Gilles Søren. They depart on the 5th of Blooming, taking a portal from Sigil to the Gate-Town of Automata and then continue spireward on foot.

They cross the Ma’at river, jumping across a gap at the middle of an incomplete bridge, and then continue to make their way downstream toward Thebestys and into the fourth ring.

Upon reaching the Alchemist’s estate the group is welcomed into Søren’s home and provided lodging to rest from their journey. They discover that they are not the only house guests present, briefly meeting a coven of witches known as the Council of Three.

Arathiel shows the ichor from the crime scene to Søren, and though the alchemist is not immediately able to identify it, he agrees to continue to research the substance, contacting Arathiel immediately should he uncover anything.

They return to Sigil on the 16th of Blooming and check in with Tzenka Sobol, who reports that Severin Corma came forward with more information, stating that following his meeting with the Justiciar he met with his associates and determined that Ephrath, a Priestess of Shekinester and occasional colleague has seen Alim Sushen in the Cage recently.

Additionally, while Sitani and Naedas have been off-plane, the residents of the Roundabout House have acquired a number of ovens and begun baking and selling massive quantities of bread. Margot reports that these developments concern her, suspecting that a shapeshifter may have infiltrated the house.

Season Two / Episode Two

In which one sworn to wisdom is untrue to the truth, a mysterious material remains shrouded in secrecy, and a capricious friend comes forward . . .

On the 4th day of Blooming Tzenka shares what she’s found on Alim Sushen with Arathiel. Alim is not in Sigil, and her contacts in the City Barracks don’t know him. She spoke with Severin Corma, a suspicious Harmonium factioneer in the Temple District who claimed not to have seen Alim but was lying.

Naedas and Sitani tell Arathiel and Tzenka about the Nemausus Rehabilitation Camp, and Arathiel reports the incident to one of his superiors, a dwarven Justice Dispenser. Naedas and Sitani are offered protective custody.

Arathiel takes the mysterious ichor he found at the crime scenes to Wooly Cupgrass, an alchemist in the Market Ward, but Cupgrass is unable to make sense of it. Arathiel begins researching Alchemy himself and notes that the author of a book he found, Gilles Søren, lives in the Outlands.

Dolly comes to the Roundabout House and informs Naedas and Sitani that Gulbrand is in town looking to get revenge. The pair accept Arathiel’s offer for protection.

Season Two / Episode One

In which criminals are corralled, an operation is undertaken, and information is exchanged . . .

Sitani and Naedas purchase a rundown house in the Hive for themselves, Robert, Robert, and Jimmy, founding the Roundabout House, and keep Margot employed as a bodyguard. They set up utilitarian bedding on the main level for Sitani and the Roundabout House’s guests, while Naedas occupies the three bedrooms on the house’s second level. Sitani and his charges patrol the Hive at night, fighting crime and stopping evildoers.

On the morning of the 11th of Nimbus, Sitani rises to an unusual quiet. Looking out the windows, he finds Hiverunners Road to be deserved, devoid of its usual vagrants. Two Mercykillers, Arathiel Horgold and Tzenka Sobol, arrive and investigate the house. They explain that this is the house the Goatswood Flayer’sfirst victim died in.

Around peak, one of Shemeshka the Marauder’s tiefling guards delivers a packet of information to Naedas containing a list of dates and locations ostensibly related to Alim Sushen. Naedas and Sitani go to Arathiel and confirm that the information lines up with the Goatswood Flayer killings. Tzenka begins investigating Alim Sushen as a potential suspect.

That night when Sitani, Rob, Rob, and Jimmy go out on their patrol, Arathiel follows them. They prevent an attempted rape, tying the attacker up and bringing him back to the Roundabout House. Arathiel and Sitani debate whether Sitani’s Roundabout House is legal or ethical, but ultimately Arathiel agrees to assist Sitani to obtain some form of license for his operation. After Arathiel leaves, Sitani and his companions go back out on patrol, taking in eight more criminals. Two of them are deemed unrepentant and delivered to the Jail.

Interim One

In which a killer is on the loose, an investigation is mounted, and an oath of justice is sworn . . .

Arathiel Horgold, a Mercykiller paladin, is leaving the Jail after work on the evening of the 6th of Revolvis when he is approached by Madamme Lis, owner of a Lower Ward brothel. Lis tells Arathiel that Santana Elofson, one of her girls, was found dead and the patrolmen won’t tell her what happened. Agreeing to look into the matter, Arathiel and his partner Tzenka Sobol go to the Black Sails Inn, where the body was found, and speak with the Harmonium officers. They learn that Santana was the seventh victim of the Goatswood Flayer, a serial killer in the Hive and Lower Ward known for removing their victims’ faces and jaws.

On the 17th of Halcyon the killer strikes again, killing Grace Von Kedra, a tiefling and Doomguard factioneer. Arathiel and Tzenka go to the crime scene and, though the body has already been removed, they find a sticky black ichor intermixed with blood near the door.

The Triad of Order agree to use a Justiciar to bring the Goatswood Flayer to justice and Arathiel is chosen. Factol Mallin leads the ritual that binds him to the killer.

On the 11th of Nimbus, the Flayer’s ninth victim Cordell Lockery is found in the Goatswood district of the Hive. Arathiel and Tzenka go to the Mortuary to investigate the victim’s body, which has had its jaw and the facial skin removed, consistent with the Flayers’ other victims. They determine that the facial skin was removed with an expert level of precision, and note that the removal of the jaw prevents the use of a Speak with Dead spell. They additionally notice a series of small needle-like punctures along the victims’ skull.

At the scene of the crime, an alley off of Radagast Street, the pair learn from the Harmonium that the victim had two sets of wounds: a puncture wound in the neck, believed to have killed him, and an active defense wound on his left hand, believed to have been caused grasping for the killers’ weapon.

A trail of blood leads into the alley, and the pair find a bloody glass shard 5 feet from the largest pool of blood. Intermixed with the blood, they find more ichor. The trail of blood and ichor leads through the Hive and down Hiverunners Road, where it ends abruptly in front of a small home.

Season One / Episode Thirteen

In which illusions are affirmed, rubies are recovered,
a meeting is held in the back of a butchers shop, and
a sissy is finally sent home . . .

The group stands before Abacus’ mother, Evania Rex, in the hidden room of her home. She stares straight ahead, entirely unmoving and reacting to nothing as Abacus stammers out his intention to take a ruby from her, and while the group suspects this might be an illusion and not the real Evania Rex they are unable to confirm either way. They find a single large ruby in a hidden compartment among her jewellery and make their escape.

The following day, Abacus, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, Tim, and Margot attend their meeting with Pearl in Stephen’s Butchers, during which the titular butcher is also present. They share the information they possess on the Rehabilitation Facility, but omit all details concerning Amalia and Loopwyn.

The group then goes to the Triona statue, where the portal to Faerun is. They defeat a group of Doomguard factioneers guarding the portal site, then activate it and send Tim home.

Season One / Episode Twelve

In which a caper is cooked up, a stalker is caught, an estate is explored, hidden corridors are discovered, and a young man reunites with his mother . .

While scoping out the Rex Estate, Abacus, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, Tim, and Margot discover they are being watched by the air genasi woman they saw outside the Barracks previously. Upon cornering her in an alley, the woman introduces herself as Pearl and explains that she is an enemy of the Harmonium afraid for their safety. They arrange a meeting in a more secure location the following day.

Under cover of night, the group sneak into the Rex Estate, finding the inside of the home extremely unnerving. Passing through a series of empty corridors filled with strange traps and animated statues, they eventually discover a secret passageway leading to a hidden room where Abacus’ mother Evania Rex has been waiting for them.

Season One / Episode Eleven

In which a building burns down, an assortment of artwork is destroyed, men turn themselves into wolves, and rubies are actually really expensive . . .

Naedas, Sitani, Taga, Tim, and Margot leave Robert, Robert, and Jeremy at Anne‘s apartment for the day and make their way to the Market Ward. When they reach Abacus’ apartment smoke is pouring out of the windows. Sitani scales the building and chases a feral-looking woman he sees climb out of Abacus’ window, but she escapes him.

Abacus escapes the fire but loses his collection of artwork and detris. One of the arsonists is captured and taken back to Madame Sanguine’s for questioning, where it is discovered that the arsonist is a werewolf. The arsonist identifies their leader as Voirra Redclaw, and explains that his group are mercenaries that were hired to light Abacus’ apartment on fire while ensuring his survival, but he does not know who hired them. The werewolf is released in exchange for his information.

When Abacus speaks with the Harmonium about the arson he claims all three of the arsonists were able to escape.

The group is unable to extract information of worth from the Hall of Information’s excessive bureaucratic procedures, but find Ras’Aziz Saif-Al-Rusul, a merchant known for importing spices from Faerun. The spice merchant shares the portal he uses to travel to Amn, the Triona Statue in the Clerk’s Ward, a portal that can lead to a variety of different Prime Material worlds. They will need a Ruby for the Triona to open a portal to Faerun, which they cannot afford. Abacus suggests robbing his parents, and Virus and Evania Rex.

Season One / Episode Ten

In which ruffians aggress, footwear is frisked, hooligans are held captive, and an ultimatum is served alongside splendid teas and cakes at Madamme Sanguine’s . . .

Abacus, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, Tim, and Margot leave the Crimson Harpy and are accosted by ruffians. The ruffians attempt to mug the group but are handily defeated and, save for two that fled during the melee, are beaten into unconsciousness. Abacus and Naedas search the fallen bandits’ possessions, and eventually a consensus is reached to tie up their attackers and take them somewhere private for questioning.

The group travels by Pony Cab up to Dancer’s Court in the Market Ward, and at Abacus’ suggestion, they rent a private room at Madame Sanguine’s, a discrete cafe-slash-BDSM dungeon specializing in exotic planar teas. Utilizing the equipment available at Sanguine’s, the muggers are restrained and brought to consciousness. Sitani questions them on their motives, families, and life choices, before informing them that they will all be living with him from now on, while he teaches them responsibility and helps them to find honest work.

Abacus returns to his home alone, while Sitani, Naedas, Tim, Margot, and the three muggers – Robert, Robert, and Jimmy – go to Robert’s sister Anne’s home for the night. Naedas and Sitani sleep in shifts, and Naedas stops Anne from stabbing Sitani in his sleep.

Season One / Episode Nine

In which city clerks are made cranky, unsound investments are counted up short, many many miles are marched, a fickle fiend sacks her security, and a sultry singer’s assent seems to have slipped her mind . . .

The group sleep in Abacus’ flat, but Naedas and Sitani wake up in the night to a commotion in the lane outside, where Abacus harasses street children while intoxicated. After abusing them verbally, calling them lazy wastes and unworthies, Abacus gives the children a handful of jinx and tells them to run off. Back in his apartment, Abacus shares the story of how his parents, factioneers in the Fated, met and romanced one another.

The next morning Abacus, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, and Tim go to the Hall of Information in the Clerk’s Ward. After making an appointment with the Portal Registry for the following day to pick up information on portals to Faerun, the group walk across the Cage to the Lower Ward to check out the Crimson Harpy, the bar Dolly arranged to meet at that night.

As the Harpy is closed until the show, the group explores the Lower Ward and visits the Foundry, where Sitani learns about the Believers of the Source. Walking to the Lady’s Ward for their meeting with Shemeshka the Marauder, they pass by the City Barracks and Sitani attempts to inform the Harmonium posted at the Barracks gate about the Rehabilitation Centre on Arcadia. Unfortunately, the guards do not believe him, and threaten to arrest Sitani for slander, defamation, conspiracy, and similar crimes. While leaving the area, they notices an air genasi woman that had watched their exchange with the guards, and though they attempt to pursue her, she is lost in the crowds.

Arriving at the Fortune’s Wheel gambling hall in time for their appointment with Shemeshka, Abacus and Tim get a table while Sitani and Naedas speak with Shemeshka’s gate keeper, a hideous tiefling woman named Margot. Margot is briefed on the information Sitani and Naedas possess, relating to their imprisonment on Nemausus, and the pair are granted an audience with “the King.”

Shemeshka, dressed in her fine silks and razorvine headdress, is seated at a private table with many tiefling men attending her. She asks Sitani and Naedas to restate their information, making a callous offhanded remark on Margot’s incompetence. Sitani attempts to defend Margot, insisting that she did a fine job, but Shemeshka takes offence and immediately discharges Margot from her employ.

Margot is forced to leaves the Fortune’s Wheel immediately, but Sitani follows after her and offers her a job at the same wage she received from Shemeshka in order to make amends for causing her loss of employment. Meanwhile, still inside, Naedas re-explains the information they possess on the Harmonium and strikes a deal with Shemeshka to receive details on a way back to Vidalok in return.

The group plus Margot return to the Crimson Harpy, arriving in time to catch the end of Dolly’s show. Abacus orders a plate of larvae chips and, though they prove disgusting, he finishes them in order to get his money’s worth. The group waits for Dolly after the show, and though she leaves them waiting for a long time, she does eventually emerge from the back. While happy to see them, she seemed confused by their visit, claiming not to remember offering them help find a portal. She states that she has looked for Nerissa and hasn’t found her, but isn’t concerned about it. She asks the group to remind her what they needed and offers to help them find a portal again, but Naedas tells her not to worry about it. Dolly tells the group about a show she is putting on the following week in the Clerk’s Ward and encouraging them to come see her again before leaving the Harpy.

Season One / Episode Eight

In which debts are repaid, accoutrements are acquired, appointments are made, and doors are traversed . . .

Abacus, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, Tim, and Loopwyn pass through the portal, with busy streets and the cacophony of a crowd greeting them on the other side. Loopwyn is eager to make his way to an appointment in the Clerk’s Ward, though he refuses to elaborate on the nature of the meeting. Unwilling to lose contact with the gnome completely, the others follow him.

Loopwyn leads the group to a dimly lit alehouse called the Screaming Hand, and though Sitani and Abacus are reluctant to enter, they eventually follow through the door. A redheaded woman with horns shimmies on a stage, singing in a dusky voice with a band playing behind her. Loopwyn sits at a table by the stage and looks quite irritated, though refuses to explain what he is doing there or why he’s upset. After finishing her song and leaving the stage, the woman returns some five minutes later in less flashy clothing. Addressing Loopwyn as “Loopy,” she invites the gnome and his friends back to her dressing room.

The woman introduces herself as Dolly. She is vivacious and playful in conversation, and much about her manner seems to get on Loopwyn’s nerves. Though she laughs off most questions, she states that she was already made aware Loopwyn was escorting a group of primes through Mechanus, and she gleefully shares name of the winged woman opening the planar breach: Nerissa. After offering to speak with Nerissa on their behalf and to look for a portal to send Tim back to Faerun, Dolly tells them to meet her the following night at the Crimson Harpy, a bar in the Lower Ward she’s scheduled to perform at.

Abacus, Sitani, Nadeas, Taga and Tim leave the Screaming Hand without Loopwyn and go to Abacus’ home, a one-bedroom apartment above a barbershop on Turtle Lane in the Market Ward, regrouping before making their way to the Lower Ward to deliver the package. Sitani, Naedas and Tim go outside to the Great Bazaar where they purchase new clothes for Naedas and Tim and offload Barbara‘s kukri for 151 jinx and a silk coin purse. They ask some of the merchants about Shemeshka the Marauder and learn that they are an information broker and an important figure in Sigil’s cross-trade.

When the group arrives at the Oarsman that evening, the barman appears to have been expecting them, and furthermore, expects them to hand the package over to him. After some deliberation, the group gives the package to the barman, but insist they have information Shemeshka will want to hear. They are told to go to Fortune’s Wheel the following day at eight hours after peak.

Season One / Episode Seven

In which civilization is found, spoils are sold, citizens are questioned, and slavery strikes . . .

Abacus, Naedas, Sitani, Taga, Tim, and Loopwyn discover that the spiral tower is the planar metropolis of Axis. The group enters the city, sells their Quill spines, and looks for a portal to Sigil. Abacus warns the others that slavery is legal here and the city is home to many Tso slavers. Sitani is outraged by this news and declares that he will put an end to the slavers; the others attempt to dissuade him, and they all agree to investigate the slave market before proceeding.

The group sleeps at an inn for the night and in the morning they continue their ascent of the axle. They lose Tim in the crowds, and unable to find him, they decide to continue making their way toward the market. As they get closer they are approached by a tall, gaunt blue-skinned man with an unusual number of fingers. The man convinces them to speak with him privately, though he is deemed extremely suspicious.

Once alone, the gaunt blue man explains that he knows they’re looking for a slave recently acquired by the Tso. He offers to buy Tim back for them and additionally direct them toward a portal into Sigil in exchange for a small service: the delivery of a package into the City of Doors. After some deliberation, the stranger’s offer is accepted.

The gaunt blue man produces the package with a flourish of magic; it is small, wrapped in a colourful cloth, and does not appear to be magical. The group is instructed to deliver the package to ‘Shemeshka the Marauder’ at ‘The Oarsman’ in Sigil’s Lower Ward, and warns that his client will be upset if the package is opened before they receive it.

The group waits in the meeting room while the gaunt man leaves, returning shortly thereafter with Tim. He advises the group to leave Axis before they encounter more trouble, then escorts them to the portal that will take them into Sigil.